Riding in the Rain ?

[dstevens58]

Okay, okay.......since I didn't plan well yesterday, I ended up riding home in the rain. I did okay, avoided any sharp or sudden turns and/or braking, followed in the tire track of the car ahead of me. It sure helped that I have new tread on the bike.

Any other suggestions for riding in the rain, any considerations to take? As the bike is my main mode of transportation, I'm sure I'll be riding in the rain again.

[GS-RON]

I think you got it down, just remember.......SMOOOOOOOTH...

[FishWitch]

Be Creful obviously & watch out for the idiots going to fast!

If you have GOOD rain gear you will be better off. Make yourself as bright & obvious as you can and BE SEEN! If you are dressed right you will be comfortable and can be more attentive to the conditions around you. Staying dry is key.

As for the vison that has been my major problem. You can get gloves that have a built in squeegie. They work great. Rain-X helps some.

Another obvious problem is fogging up. You are usually ok when moving but when you stop is where you have problems. And riding with your visor cracked open to avoid this lets the water in dripping right in front of your eyeball ~ never to the side.

I have used all sorts of stuff with not a whole lot of luck. I have tried anit-fog for dive masks, ski goggles and anything else I can find. It's sort of hit and miss here.

More obvious stuff ~
watch out for big puddles~lurking pot holes are likely underneath
braking will take longer and the roads will be slick especially on the lines & when you stop!

I have gotten caught in the rain alot and oh yeah LOVE IT!

Oh yeah~ I always carry along a supply of plastic garbage bags. They will keep you & your things dry in a pinch although not very fashionable.

[CRASH]

Smooth is key. WAY KEY! Extra follow distance. Be even more vigilant about tar snakes, paint lines and the like since they get slick as snot. DO NOT put your foot down on a paint line or painted stuff on the street when you come to a stop (especially on a full dress Venture Royal loaded to the gills for a week trip with your wife on the back ... don't ask me how I know, but I do know that was one heavy son of a bitch to pick up while it was raining like hell).

Good rain gear. You ride so much better when you are not wet, cold and miserable.

[m0t0-ryder]

Other things to be aware of when riding in the rain...

- Be a little more "tender" on your front brakes. Actually almost to the point of non-use. (I know, counter-intuitive to all previous training)

- be smooth on the throttle. Avoid quick starts and throttle "chops" as these can cause the rear tire to lose traction.

- "test" your rear brake traction as you start on your rain ride. Do this in a "non-traffic" environment.

- allow more distance between vehicles, for stopping and hazard avoidance
(i.e.; DON'T TAILGATE)

- be very careful on steel manhole covers, cattle guards and railroad crossings. These should be crossed at a 90 degree angle if at all possible.

- if it's the first rain in awhile be aware that the first 30-60 minutes will be the most dangerous. This is when the oils accumulated over the dry season are still on the roads and very slippery. These usually get washed away in about 30-60 minutes. But, if you see the oily sheen on the road... be very careful!

HERE's a pretty good article on moto rain riding.
It starts with this...
"Riding in the rain safely is a matter of dressing properly, understanding traction, making sure you can see, and making sure that you are seen."

Re: fogging shields...
I have found that the Fog City Fog Shield works really well.
It's only drawback is that it adds a slight (very slight) amount of distortion when looking thru it.
It also has a tendancy to "halo" when hit by lights at night.
(halo being a sort of mini rainbow around the light itself)
This (IMO) is minor. Especially when compared with the real (and major) problem of the face shield itself fogging up.
I keep a spare (clear) shield that has the fog city installed and use this when I suspect it may rain (or when I may be riding into foggy temp areas).

I learned and grew up riding bikes in Oregon.
I became very familiar with wet weather riding.
(however, this "was" before the fog city shield liners were available... and even full face helmets for that matter)

HTH... John

[z_bassman]

Originally Posted by FishWitch

... Rain-X helps some...

Others will correct me if I'm wrong, but I read somewhere that Rain-X should NOT be used on plastic. Can anybody confirm or deny?

[Fahrvergnügen]

Very good advice everybody. Since I don't have a car at my disposal either, I find myself in the same predicament as Don. Good waterproof gear is obviously a must. However, my ARAI visor fogs up badly and all attempts to solve the problem have remained futile. I resort to opening the helmet, as seeing is more important than comfort. However, my naked eyes can only withstand the wind and the rain for a short time. It's a good thing Northern California has not confronted me with much rain yet.

Beside the fog inside your helmet, the fog inside some cager's heads presents the biggest challenge in the rain. As visibility is reduced, I noticed that people cut me off left and right. I flash my high-beams and cover the horn and the brakes, if I feel that a driver ahead will change into my lane without paying attention. I had some heart-stopping moments that -- apart from making me raving mad -- forced me to adjust my position in traffic and to adopt an even more defensive riding style. Avoiding blind spots is imperative anyway, but that doesn't cut it in the rain. A single headlight tends to disappear in the blur of bad weather and in the glare of the other lights around you. Reflective gear and exercising maximum vigilance may save your life.

Finally, the oily gunk that accumulates on the streets becomes a huge hazard when it starts to rain after a dry spell. I recommend pulling over and waiting until the rain has washed off the worst. If you don't, the road can suddenly turn into an ice-rink. And I hate it when that happens ...

[m0t0-ryder]

Originally Posted by z_bassman

Others will correct me if I'm wrong, but I read somewhere that Rain-X should NOT be used on plastic. Can anybody confirm or deny?

I've heard that argument as well.

There's a (brief) Pashnit thread HERE on it.

But... I've used rain-X on both my helmet shields as well as my fairing shields.
They haven't shown any signs of problems from it, that I can see.
I did switch to Lemon pledge on the bike shield because it seemed just as effective, yet did a MUCH better job actually cleaning the shield. (and it's cheaper)
I now use Plexus to clean my shields. But... Plexus doesn't "really" cause the rain to bead up and disperse like Rain-X.

As far as helmet shields... Mine usually only last 2-3 seasons before they start getting scratches.
These scratches almost always seem to end up directly in front of my eyes.
Once they become too annoying I just replace the shield.

IOW... I believe that normal wear and tear will cause more damage to your
plastic shields than rain-x will.

BE AWARE...
The Rain-X label says the following...
IMPORTANT: Do not use onplasticsunless pre-approved by the manufacturerof the plastic to be treated. DO not use on or allow to contact painted surfaces, non-clear surfaces, surfaces treated with anti-reflective, scratch resistance or other coatings.

(I had to use a magnifying glass to read this "important" notice on the Rain-X container)

John

[dstevens58]

Awesome replies. Yeah, I found out that although I have great tread on the tires on the bike, my boots (cowboy boots) are pretty slick on the bottom and found out that the road surface is slick when I put my feet down.

I ended up cracking the helmet a bit to take care of the fogging problem and might look into those gloves to take care of water accumulation. Although it wasn't raining too hard, I personally did not get wet pants or anything, but see the value in some rain gear. I'm glad it wasn't raining any harder than what it was.

[FishWitch]

Thanks for correction on the Rain-X. In desparation over the years with ski goggles & helmets I have tried a lot of stuff.

Obviously Fishy does NOT read directions! OOPSIE

BTW Where would one find one of the Fog City Shields? Sounds like one might be a good investment.